John changing the hole location on hole 5

It was nice to see the sunshine again this week. Multiple players that traveled from the valley were especially happy to see the sun, as foggy conditions have been the norm for them during the last week and a half. The forecast for next week is looking pretty good as well, so book your tee time soon, as they may fill up quickly.

Jerry spiking/rolling 13 green

This week the greens were walk mowed (with groomers) and rolled (with spiker). The tees were mowed. Hole locations were changed a few times. The bunkers were raked. Portions of 7 and 18 approaches were aerated (areas that were soft during wet weather). Fairways on holes 1, 6, and 12 were sliced. The water spigot that serves the driving range shack was repaired and relocated closer to the building. Cart path edging was continued. The stumps on hole 4 were removed, and the area was capped with sand. Hazard communication training took place during our monthly safety meeting.

GCSAA Press Release

A few months ago I applied for a spot in the inaugural Melrose Leadership Academy Class. The Melrose Leadership Academy supports the professional development of GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America) member superintendents by providing individuals the opportunity to attend the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. While at the education conference, class members will attend sessions hosted by golf's industry leaders. They will also have the opportunity to network with GCSAA leadership, industry leaders, and certified superintendent peers.

The Melrose Leadership Academy was established in 2012 by Ken Melrose, retired CEO and chairman of the board of The Toro Co., and is supported by a $1 million gift to the EIFG (Environmental Institute for Golf) from the Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation.

I was one of the lucky 17 superintendents selected for this years Melrose Leadership Academy Class, which includes an all expense paid trip to the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. This years conference will be held in San Diego on February 4th-8th. I am really excited about being selected, and I am looking forward to representing Sandpines.

Jim mowing 3 green

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this week. There have been frost delays daily, but that is a small price to pay for playing golf in the sunshine in the middle of January on the Oregon Coast. The course is really playing nicely right now. The forecast is showing plenty of sunshine, so come on out and enjoy a round during this fabulous stretch of weather.

Jerry slicing 18 fairway

This week the greens have been mowed and rolled, and are rolling great. We changed hole locations and moved tee markers multiple times this week. The collars were mowed. The bunkers were raked. Fairways on holes 3, 7, 9, 10, and 18 were sliced. We have exposed some more stumps on hole 4, and will be removing them soon. We are continuing to work on our MSDS audit during frost delays.

Hole 11

I have been hearing great things about the food at Tavolo, which is the restaurant at Sandpines. I can't hardly make it through the clubhouse without hearing about how great the food is from one person or another. Chef John is fairly new at Tavolo, and already he has been impressing a lot of folks with his creations. I have included the new Sunday Brunch Menu and Thursday night Karaoke Menu below to give you an idea of the type of food being served.

12 green getting some sun

It has been nice to see the sun today. The extended forecast is looking really good. Lots of sunshine, but a little cool at night. There will likely be some frost delays in the near future. Once the frost is gone however, the sunshine should make for some great golfing weather.

This week, the only mowing that took place was on the greens. The greens and approaches were fertilized.. We also changed hole locations a couple times, raked bunkers, raised a few low sprinkler heads, edged some more cart paths, removed a couple of stumps on hole 4, initiated our annual material safety data sheet (MSDS) audit, installed slicing knives on our pull behind aerator, and installed new 150 yard markers on the par 4's and par 5's.

New 150 yard marker on hole 7

14 green soaking up the sun this morning

The weather has been fantastic this week. Clear days this time of year tend to begin with frost delays, which was the case earlier in the week. However, today is the nicest day of the week, and play started on time. The high temperature for the day has reached 58 degrees so far (with no wind), which is just right for golfing.

Jim cutting 2x2's for traffic stakes

The frost delays earlier this week allowed us to complete some tasks in the shop. We worked on making more traffic stakes for the golf course, which are particularly important this time of year. We have also been prepping the rough mower decks for painting, which will make them last much longer. The rain gauge was cleaned up and had new batteries installed. Chain saws were sharpened. Bags stands for the driving range were stripped and painted.

View of hole 17 from behind 10 tees (zoomed in slightly)

On the course this week, the greens were mowed on Monday and rolled today, hole locations were changed daily (with the exception of Thursday), bunkers were raked, cart path edging was continued, cart paths were blown off, approaches were fertilized, tee divots were filled, and traffic stakes were moved as needed.